Don’t be surprised; don’t be scared of this letter. This is from me; a friend of yours. I just woke up this bright morning and thought of writing a few words.
 
By this time your work must have started. Many of you must be at the dumping yard with the big jari bag on your back and with a thin iron rod, collecting used plastics. Many of you must have started washing the plates on the road side vending stalls where people rush to have south Indian breakfast. Many of you must have started working in homes as domestic workers. Many of you must be taking care of your younger brothers and sisters because your parents have gone out, searching for a day’s work.

 
You know, once I tried to list the work you all do; I filled a page but still there were many more. I am still searching for an answer to the question you all have created. How do you all do these and why do you all do it?
 
I am sitting by a window of my house. Out there is a road and next to the road is a building; a big one. You know what they call that. They call that a school, the school you have never been to, never ever seen. That’s a school of international standard. I don’t know what the international standard is all about. But I can see children going to one of the school gates; saying good morning to the person standing by the gate and giving a smile to each.  All of them have a big bag on their back. I don’t dare to think it’s like your jari bag, in which you keep plastics so carefully, so that you earn a few paisas and have some food. That’s rubbish. The bag they carry is clean and branded. Though one thing is the same. The bag is heavy  like yours when it is full of plastics. You know English. That’s the language; they can speak. May be because of that they call that a school with a standard.
 
Some of you might have attended a school sometimes before. Don’t compare that with the one I just said. Your’s must be a school, run by the government. The government, your parent’s elect every five years. You know why a government is being elected by your parents. Let me say; that’s because, so that you all can live a good life. Good life means, when you have got your basic rights. It is like when your parents have enough work to do, food to eat, shelter to live in and clothes to wear and freedom to express themselves.
 
Come back to the school story. I know you will feel bad. But that is the reality. The school you all go to or your brothers and sisters go to is single roomed. At some places they are fortunate enough to manage with two or three. Many have no buildings. No matter in which village, which state you are, you will find a school having a single teacher struggling to teach four or five classes. That’s being fortunate -- to have a school, have a teacher, because many don’t have even this. They have to walk miles to attend school.
 
What would you learn in these schools? Here you will find nothing except a printed certificate - a piece of printed paper, valid through out the nation. If you have a bunch of them, you will get good work, handsome salary.
 
You know the name of your nation? They call it India, but for you it is Bharat. Because you don’t live in the India they talk of. Anyway, let me share with you some interesting facts. I know you will again not like to hear this. I too don’t.
 
You know the country in which you live has forty percent children below the age of eighteen. But half of them don’t go to school. Half of the children are malnourished. Children here are born with anemia. Dropout rates are high, vaccination is low.  The government, elected by your parents identify these figures. But they remain figures. Why should it bother? You all are children, having no voting rights, you are not part of the election process  and therefore why should they hear you.
 
Now, let me give you some good news. After 60 years of independence, education is going to be a right for children. The government elected by your parents has brought an act. They call that Right to Education Act and say through this act they will educate all the children of this nation. The act does not talk about early childhood education. It is also not covering children of fifteen to eighteen years of age. There are no quality parameters for teachers. And most importantly, you know it reserves 25 per cent of seats for poor children in private schools. I don’t understand, why it kept this provision and why not a common government school for all the poor and rich children alike.
 
 
A question remains in my mind. How can you smile with all the pain? I believe your smile has a message. A message of possibility; possibility of change; change for the good in future.
 
Children’s Day is coming. I know many of you are not even aware of this; you even don’t know what this is for. It will be a day like other days in your life. But I have a wish for you, a wish for a better world, where you are free.
 
With love
 
A friend